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City of Mice, Magic, and Machinery.
Next Chapter: Taking it Outside Almost Dinner Time "Ouch!" Ryan yelled as searing cooking oil splattered onto her forearms. Her body swiftly retreated from the stove that had on top a large pan full of clear-yellow boiling liquid that hissed along with the sound of gas releasing from below. Inside the pan, numerous small and thin pieces of unknown meat seemed to make the hissing worse as they gradually darkened. "I told you, Ryan. You should bake those pieces; make use of that oven I helped make for you." Said a man leaning on a corner of the room only four feet away. Ryan looked at the man, standing tall with a hairless scalp that reflected the dim yellow light coming from small crystal lamps that dangled on bare copper wires from the celling. He wore brown robes that stretched down to his knees as well as a white shirt and pair of brown shorts underneath. "Stewart?" she asked. "What?" "Are you the one cooking the meat?" "No." "Then shut the hell up." Ryan said as she turned her head back to the pan. Stewart crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at Ryan's comment. A sarcastic response pushed as hard as it could against Stewart's clenched teeth until it gave up completely. He sighed as he sat down at a small wooden table the could only fit two people. "That wasn't the first time you got burned while trying to flip that meat over. And for God's sake, why are you crushing the fire lacrima I made for you and putting it in the oil?" Ryan snapped. "Why does it matter? It isn't like they are hard to make in the first place: you just put but basic fire magic into a lacrima. No need for any other combinations of magic." At this point, Stewart's patience ran thin like his goatee. He stood up, both hands on the table. "First of all, even if i am making Lacrima for basic elemental magic, the process is still not that simple. How about instead of being so abrasive, you just answer my question. I only asked because i was curious." "It sure didn't sound like it." Ryan responded. Stewart began to sit back down on the creaky wooden chair below him. As he did, the smart-mouthed young woman, with hair flipped to her right side and arranged into cornrows on the left, continued. "I'll tell you why, but it stays between us. Got it?" This piqued stewart's interest. He hunched over with curiosity written all over his face. His ears opened just as did his mouth to say "I'm listening." "The oil I am cooking with here was made by another Thaumaturge, just like you. It has the ability to absorb magical energy and infuse it with whatever is cooked inside of it. I crush the fire lacrima into pieces so that the magic can be absorbed quickly, so it can infuse into the meat. What i am cooking is my specialty: 'Ryan's Fire-Clad Steak.' This steak not only tastes great, but also always stays hot, regardless of how cold it is outside. Not only that, but whatever eats it feels a pleasant warm sensation in their throat." Stewart chuckled. "Sort of like when you give head?" Ryan glared at him with eyes that stung like her words from before. "That wasn't funny." she sneered. "Well, it wasn't like i was trying to say somethign funny. But now you know how I felt a few moments ago, when I said something and got an answer that didn't sit well with me." Ryan turned back to her pan. With both Ryan and stewart stayign quiet, only the sound of gas and sizzling oil filled the tiny room that had only a bed, a makeshift kitchen, a table and a corridor that led to an even smaller bathroom. The lights continued to flicker at random intervals. "Stewart?" Ryan asked to break the relative silence. "Yes?" "Have you ever given head before?" "No." "Then shut the hell up." Just then, she heard a knocking on the door that connected a dark, loud alleyways to her cramped room of a house. "Stewart, can you get it?" He got up from is chair and sighed before walking up to the door that was only an inch taller than his body. When he opened the door, a chorus of steam ejecting from random pipes in the dark hallway outside joined the sound of Ryan cooking meat. A man, slightly shorter than Stewart, stared at him through dark circular sunglasses. He had slick, blonde hair and a full beard with the same color. The Dubious Note "You aren't the Queen Hornet." He said harshly. "Who the hell are you?" Just as the man asked, Ryan's whole body whipped around to face the door. "Chad, he's a Thaumaturge. you should watch your tone." Chad smirked. "With all due respect, there are many Thaumaturges in this city. What makes him any more special than the thousands that already live among us." Ryan locked eyes with Chad for a second, glanced for but a moment at Stewart, then back at the blonde man with a black leather jacket as slick as his hair. "He has been certified to perform a Thaumic Operation." At Ryan's words, Chad's face came to life in contrast to his dim and shady visage from before. He scribed every aspect of Stewarts image onto his brain through his eyes, noticing his brown wool robe and mundane attire underneath. After a few moments, he opened his mouth to speak. "You must be the real deal then! not many people in this city can do that, so you must be one hell of a Thaumaturge! I'm sorry I was rude to you." Stewart sighed. "It's too bad you had to know of my status in order to actually be respectful towards me." Ryan then piped in. "He has a point, Chad. Anyway, come on in. It's way too loud outside." Chad walked in, closed the wooden door behind him shut, and sat down onto the linoleum tiles that covered the floor below. Then, Ryan continued, "So, What's up?" Chad took in a deep breath, inhaling the aroma of freshly cooked meat. He looked up and down at Ryan, who wore only a baggy black T-shirt and capri's that had oil stains on them. She stood on prosthetic legs made of steel that had seen its fair share of battle. "Ryan, you look like shit right now, i love it." Chad proclaimed with a smirk on is face. "I'm sure if those Toranku bastards actually came to our city, the sight of you looking like that would be enough to scare them away." This statement got under Ryan's skin; not because of chad's opinion of how she looked, but because of the word "Toranku." "Wait, did you say 'Toranku Bastards?' Why the hell would they ever come here?" Her voice became more demanding. Chad pulled out a folded slip of paper from his pant pocket. He fumbled for a little bit because his jeans were very tight and made of denim: not so convenient for storing items in its pockets. "That's why I'm here." Chad finally gets up and walks up to Ryan, handing her the now opened piece of paper. "Josh was chillin' on the rooftops when a messenger dove dropped him this note. It apparently was sent by the Toranku 15" Ryan looked at the paper which had read: "Dear Ryan Luz, 15th Chair of the Toranku 15, you have two months to evacuate your citizens. Due to your inability to reform Inugaya, the city over which you are in charge, it has continued to remain a cesspool and an embarrassment to the grand kingdom of Hylion. Because your city's living conditions are not up to par with our standards, and crime rates continue to remain at an unacceptable high, we have no choice but to demolish and wipe it off the face of our map. Sincerely..." Ryan noticed the 14 signatures aligned vertically after "sincerely." She read the note multiple times, unable to believe what she was reading. Chad and Stewart stood quiet, observing Ryan's multitude of scornful and confused expressions as she read the letter. "Something isn't right about this note." She said. Stewart got up from his chair and walked to Ryan's side at the same time as Chad to read the dubious piece of paper in her hand. She pointed to some of the artful cursive calligraphy that composed each word on this letter. "That handwriting... it seems a little too familiar to me. I can even see traces of this handwriting in the signatures as well." "What do you mean?" Stewart asked. "I'm not getting a good feeling about this note. Not because it is a threat to demolish our home, but the writing, man... I've seen it before but i just can't remember..." Chad spoke up. "Well, it doesn't matter how it is written, it's clearly a threat. As you know, a threat is a threat; one that will really get this city buzzing." Ryan then folded the paper and placed it into her pocket. SHe turned around to the stove and shut the gas off. After preparing a metal plate with a paper towel square on top, she grabbed a pair of dinged-up metal tongs and gently transferred the darkened pieces of meat onto the large plate. As she did, the seemingly angry-sounding cooking oil simmered down and was eventually replaced with muffled sounds that could only be found in Inugaya: endless chatter among busybodies that lived their lives in this cramped ghetto combined with miscellaneous clanking of metal. She grabbed the plate and walked over to the table to place it down, only to give a sigh that sounded as if it was of both relief and annoyance at the same time. "Let's go to the City Canopy and talk to Josh. When we get back, we will eat dinner." "Why don't we bring the food up to josh instead?" Stewart asked. Ryan glanced up at him. "You think i am going to walk the alleys of this city with that kind of food in my hands? First of all, everybody and their mom will want some, and there won't be any left by the time we make it ten feet away from my home. Second, water drips from parts of the ceilings of this city's alleys. That said, no." She lifted her head and walked to the door with haste. "Let's go." Stewart and Chad followed Ryan out the door to her home and through dimly-lit hallways, corridors and flights of metal staircase. Along the way, Stewart locked eyes with countless men and women clothed in dirty attire of all silhouettes. He heard a mysterious symphony of countless footsteps, pressurized steam, constant chatter, water dripping from the celings, and Ryan's metallic legs clanking against the concrete floors of the city's so-called "streets." The disorganized mish-mash of noise somehow put Stewart at ease. "Hear that, Ace? What you are hearing is the sound of a true community." Chad said as he cocked his head over his shoulder to talk to Stewart who was lagging behind by but a few steps. A few seconds passed before he finally realized that Chad was talking to him. "Wait, did you just call me Ace?" he asked. "Yeah, dude. I don't know your name yet. I only know that you are a supposedly a damn good Thaumaturge, so I decided to call you 'Ace.'" "My name is Stewart, and i'd much prefer you call me that." "Alright, boss." Chad turned his head back to the front, not noticing Stewart's annoyed expression on his face. Before the three reached a fork in their path that split left and right, Ryan heard among the noise two hostile voices going back to back. She ceased her walking, and Chad almost bumped into her, not noticing her sudden stop. "What's wrong? Why'd you stop?" he asked. "Be quiet for a moment" Ryan responded while raising a pointed finger towards both Stewart and CHad. She stood silent, taking in all the sounds of her bustling city through her heavily pierced ears. Stewart's eyes darted around to take in the unimpressive sight of people hustling in the small sheltered alleyway as he waited for Ryan to give some type of response. Men and women passing by stared and glanced at him; each with battle-worn eyes that are yet to meet those of this bald Thaumaturge. "Oh, hell no!" Ryan's voice reached Stewart's ears and before he could respond, he heard a blade swiftly begin drawn followed by an even more ear-piercing sound of metal stomping on the stone-cold floor. As Stewart glanced to where Ryan supposedly was, he could only see Chad hastily making a left at the fork at the end of the alley. "Wait! Where you guys going?" Stewart jogged in Chad's direction and at every turn he made, he saw the blonde ruffian slip through yet another corridor leading led to God-knows-where. He increased his pace in a sloppy attempt to catch up. "Wait a minute! Where are you..." As Stewart turned yet another corner, his question was cut short by the sight of Ryan and Chad standing side-by-side. Ryan's posture was upright. Down below on her metal legs, singular blades protruded from what were supposed to be her heels, giving her the appearance of standing on deadly stilettos. Even with less than ten seconds of observing the scene, Stewart felt tension press relentlessly against his lungs from front and back. Tension on these Small Streets "What the hell are you two doing?" Ryan's stern tone of voice was heard from people standing behind her; a testament to how loud she spoke. At the sound of her question, two young men, whose postures looked as if they were ready to throw fists and use magic, met Ryan's intimidating glare. Magical aura leaked from both of their hands, making them look as if they were being consumed by a multicolored fire. One of them had black, glossy, spiky hair and a clean red t-shirt on while the other towered over the former sporting a muscular body barely covered by torn rags that haven't been washed in weeks. His putrid stench reached all the way over to Stewart on the other end of the alley, who then had trouble keeping the light-lunch he ate earlier from erupting out of his mouth. Ryan and Chad continued to glare at the two. As the young man in the red shirt looked into Ryan's eyes, he sensed that her nose was conditioned to endure far worse than simple body odor. He saw a penetrating gaze of a woman who spent her whole life being tempered by the heat of horrific experiences; one who was also about to put him in his place. "T-The Queen Hornet!" the tall one declared, his voice beginning to tremble. Ryan crossed her arms. "I hope you two were not planning to start a fight here in this city." Her words worked like magic capable of stopping time. Every person who was passing by stopped and stared at the scene, and even Stewart felt nervous. "But he started it!" proclaimed the short, spiky haired kid. A short argument ensued thereafter, their voice filling the previous relative silence of the scene. "Where do i even begin?" Ryan sighed to herself. she raised her voice. "You two! what are your names?" Chad spoke in Ryan's ear."The short one is Rye Chamberlain, and the smelly one is Lyonard Kœppen. They live close to me and are both notorious for getting into fights every so often. Though I wonder what they are both doing fighting so far from their neighborhood." "Lyonard keeps on following me! I told him to get lost, but he keeps bothering me! Not to mention, he smells!" Rye proclaimed Ryan glared at the two. "You know the rules, don't you? If you can't talk it out, you take it outside of the borders of this city." Her words pierced the souls of the young men , while injecting within them crippling fear. Thus, they both proclaimed in unison, "But, there are monsters out there!" Ryan's cracked a smile. "Ahh, that's right! All the more reason why you shouldn't resort to violence as a means of resolving a manner so trivial!" "Ryan... I mean, Queen-" "Call me Ryan, please." She interrupted. "Sorry, Ryan. Please understand, Lyonard had been antagonizing me for the longest time, and I have tried so hard to be civil with him, and I have even talked to his parents, but he continues to bother and harass me, even physically!" "You are such a pussy, you talked so much shit, and you can't even back it up. Plus, you always suck up to whoever's in charge; How about you help yourself for once? Let's take it outside." Lyonard taunted. Rye stared into Lyonard's cold-blooded eyes. His smirk sent chills up Rye's spine, as it indicated he was truly serious about his words. The standoff lasted for about twenty seconds before Lyonard lunged forward and swung his right fist at Rye's jaw. It didn't mke contact, however, as Rye slipped the punch and took two sswift steps away from the tall, odor-bearing mage. "This guy is an idiot," Ryan sighed. She then raised her voice. "Alright, Chad, we're taking these two outside. Before, we do, Let's meet with Josh. The small one is coming with me. Take care of the one who doesn't know how to shower, will ya Chad?" She clenched Rye's arm and began to walk fast enough that the boy stumbled in a messy attempt to follow her. Behind her, Chad lifted Lyonard onto his shoulders in a fireman's carry. "Don't you even attempt to break free, you hear me? Because of this situation, more of our hornets will be following us to make sure you don't try to escape, since the only place you will be heading is outside the city walls." Chad grunted. "Also, if you survive, the first thing you're gonna do is take a shower." As they weaved through the cramped and crowded streets with two misfits in tow, more people followed them, including Stewart who still had no idea what was going on. Each one of them had the black mark of a hornet bearing its stinger somewhere on their bodies, be it the arm, chest, or neck. Luckily for Ryan and Chad, they were att he frond of the flowing crowd of people, and onlookers who knew what was about to happen moved out of Chad's and The Queen Hornet's way. After five minutes of traversing the streets, Ryan, Chad, Rye and Lyonard arrived at the rooftop of one of the many buildings that composed this fortress of a city. The sky was painted the same hue of burgundy as the dry, cracked, sandy ground several hundred feet below them. All around, mountains loomed in the distance tot he west, but to the east lie a barren, flat wasteland. As the people behind Ryan flowed out of the small corridor that led to stairs to the city interior, they, including Stewart, noticed a man sittingatt he edge of the building, his feet dangling above a drop straight to the ground, large enough to easily plunge a poor soul straight to the underworld upon landing. He stared at the eastern twilight, surrounded by grey and brown doves who flocked to roost on the area around him. Ryan loosened her grip on Rye while Chad put Lyonard down. Groups of people surrounded the two, many having a glazed look in their eyes while some showed concern. The crowd was a mixed cast of skin tones and clothing styles. Stewart gazed around to see that behind every set of eyes was a unique, albeit tragic story and a hidden fire kept as an ember for good reason.